Genesis 47:18 kjv

When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

Genesis 47:18 nkjv

When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

Genesis 47:18 niv

When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.

Genesis 47:18 esv

And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord's. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land.

Genesis 47:18 nlt

But that year ended, and the next year they came again and said, "We cannot hide the truth from you, my lord. Our money is gone, and all our livestock and cattle are yours. We have nothing left to give but our bodies and our land.

Genesis 47 verses

Genesis 47 18 Meaning

Genesis 47:18 describes the desperate plea of the Egyptian people to Joseph during the second year of the severe famine. Having exhausted all their movable assets—their money and their livestock—they are left with nothing but their own bodies and their land. This signifies their total economic and physical depletion, compelling them to offer themselves and their remaining property as payment for food, submitting completely to Pharaoh's authority under Joseph's administration for survival.

Genesis 47 18 Context

Genesis chapter 47 primarily focuses on Jacob and his family settling in Goshen and Joseph's management of the severe famine that grips Egypt and the surrounding lands. The preceding verses (Gen 47:13-17) describe how, in the first year of famine, the people traded all their money (silver) for grain. When their money ran out, they exchanged their livestock (horses, flocks, herds, donkeys) for food. Verse 18 marks the second stage of their desperation during the famine, signaling their utter destitution. They had no more tangible assets to trade. This moment represents the pinnacle of human helplessness and highlights Joseph's immense administrative power and responsibility, divinely granted, to manage a national crisis of unprecedented scale. The long-term impact of Joseph's policy was the complete centralization of land ownership under Pharaoh, profoundly restructuring Egyptian society and the relationship between the ruler and his subjects.

Genesis 47 18 Word analysis

• "When that year was ended": Hebrew Mikkeleth hashshanah (מִכְּלֹות הַשָּׁנָה). "Ended" (kālâh) implies complete consumption or termination. This emphasizes the duration and worsening state of the famine, signaling that a full cycle of famine had passed since the first plea. It marks the progression from an initial hardship to a deeper, prolonged crisis.
• "they came to him the second year": Indicates persistence of the famine and their return for more help. It highlights their continuing reliance on Joseph's (and Pharaoh's) provision and the severity of their sustained need.
• "and said to him": A direct, personal appeal, underscoring Joseph's authority and their direct communication with him.
• "We will not hide from my lord": Hebrew Lo'-nekahēd mimme'ōny (לֹא-נְכַחֵד מֵאֲדֹנִי). "Hide" (kāhád) means to conceal or keep secret. The people declare they will be completely transparent about their situation, emphasizing the depth of their honesty and their inability to pretend any remaining resources. This frankness highlights their desperation and full acknowledgment of their plight.
• "that our money is spent": Hebrew Kē-'āza'l hakkesef (כִּי אָזַל הַכֶּסֶף). "Money" (kēsĕf) refers to silver, the standard medium of exchange. "Spent" (’āzal) means to run out, to vanish, to be totally gone. This signifies total economic depletion, their inability to purchase food by conventional means.
• "and the herds of livestock are my lord's": Hebrew Ḥammiqneh ‘el-'adōny (וּמִקְנֵה הַבְּהֵמָה אֶל-אֲדֹנִי). "Herds of livestock" (miqneh habbehemah) refers to their entire animal wealth – cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys – which had already been traded or given in exchange for food, confirming their absolute lack of capital. This statement acknowledges the prior transaction and the loss of this vital asset.
• "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land": This powerful phrase encapsulates their ultimate surrender.
  • "nothing left": Underscores utter destitution and hopelessness, emphasizing the extreme nature of their request.
  • "in the sight of my lord": Acknowledging that Joseph is fully aware of their previous payments, and thus, aware of their current, undeniable destitution. It also positions Joseph as the all-seeing benefactor.
  • "our bodies": Hebrew Geviyatanū (גְּוִיָּתֵנוּ). This refers to their physical selves, their very lives, their capacity for labor. They are offering themselves into bondservitude. It signifies personal surrender and the selling of one's future labor.
  • "and our land": Hebrew wa'admatēnu (וְאַדְמָתֵנוּ). "Land" ('adâmâh) refers to their cultivated soil, their ancestral property, the ultimate source of their livelihood. Giving up land represents a fundamental shift from free ownership to tenant-farming or feudal serfdom. This offering represents their last, most fundamental asset, signifying complete dependence.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "When that year was ended... the second year": Establishes the continuous, worsening nature of the famine. It signals the transition from hardship to extreme crisis, forcing people into increasingly drastic measures for survival.
• "We will not hide from my lord that our money is spent, and the herds of livestock are my lord's": This open confession highlights the completeness of their material ruin. It's a statement of undeniable fact, indicating there are no hidden reserves or pretenses left. It demonstrates their total honesty in facing the inevitable, emphasizing their vulnerability and direct appeal to Joseph.
• "There is nothing left... but our bodies and our land": This powerful culmination signifies ultimate sacrifice. It represents total forfeiture of personal freedom and property rights in exchange for survival. It underlines the stark reality of human existence when stripped of all material possessions, reducing life to mere sustenance dependent on the will of another. This offering of 'self' and 'land' highlights the profound dependency established during this crisis.

Genesis 47 18 Bonus section

• The transfer of land ownership to Pharaoh was a significant socio-economic reform. Before Joseph, while the pharaoh owned much land, there was also private and communal ownership. Joseph's policy centralized all land, profoundly shaping Egypt's future feudal structure.
• The phrase "our bodies and our land" illustrates the ultimate assets in an agrarian, pre-industrial society: the means of production (land) and the labor (bodies) to work it.
• This passage underscores the difference between true biblical leadership and exploitation. Joseph, despite consolidating immense power, does so to preserve life, managing a crisis with wisdom and equity, ensuring survival even for those who become Pharaoh's servants. His administration laid the groundwork for a stable, albeit different, society, showing the long-term thinking guided by divine wisdom.
• The only exception to the land forfeiture was the land of the priests, which they did not sell (Gen 47:22), indicating their privileged status or distinct land tenure system within ancient Egypt.

Genesis 47 18 Commentary

Genesis 47:18 marks a critical point in Joseph's administration of the famine relief. It vividly portrays the Egyptians' desperate situation: they have exhausted every last financial and material resource. Their declaration, "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land," is a raw admission of utter destitution and a plea for life at any cost. This surrender highlights the people's complete reliance on Joseph, who embodies Pharaoh's power and divine provision. Joseph's response (in the following verses) to this profound desperation solidifies Pharaoh's control over all of Egypt's land and transforms the populace into his virtual subjects or tenant farmers, required to pay a 20% tax on their produce.

Theologically, this verse reveals God's meticulous sovereignty. The famine, though a hardship, served as a divine instrument to centralize power in Egypt, ensure the survival and prosperity of Jacob's family (God's chosen people), and implicitly showcase the wisdom given by God to Joseph. The profound self-sacrifice of the Egyptians, driven by an immediate need for survival, can also serve as a profound, albeit non-moralistic, earthly parallel to spiritual surrender – how profound need drives people to lay down "all" they have (their 'selves' and 'possessions') for salvation or true life, as echoed in the New Testament call to abandon everything for Christ.